Fiberglass inlet manifold

**Ben Wilson** · 23-05-2006, 07:55 AM

Originally Posted by ed_jza80

yeah, chopped mat wouldve been way better

what material did you make the plug out of?

The plug was painted (and painstakingly polished) plaster. Remarkably tough, even when you bash it violently against a steel work bench....

**kingmick** · 23-05-2006, 08:02 AM

Originally Posted by Ben Wilson

The big difference is they use pre-preg and vac bags, so the cloth is mouldable and doesn't fray and lift like wet lay up. I might give it another go some time in the future, I just enjoy working with metal so much more

prepreg is great to use. maybe try with a multi layers of lighter glass instead of heavyer glass if its not forming properly and do it in a warm room.

**Ben Wilson** · 23-05-2006, 08:38 AM

I got the thinnest woven mat they had. The epoxy just didn't seem sticky enough to hold it to the tube. What I could have tried was wrapping some sort of peel ply over the lot to hold it in place...

There are a few things I probably should have tried, perhaps next time.....

**takai** · 23-05-2006, 09:56 AM

Making a hotter mix (i.e. more hardener) will also assist in the lay up process. As will putting a layer onto the mould and letting it become tacky before wrapping the cloth over it. Chopped strand is much nicer to work with for that sort of thing though.